, Between 500 and 1000
AD, the
Åker farm was one of the most important power centres in Norway, located just a few kilometres away from today's town of Hamar. Three coins found in
Ringerike in 1895 have been dated to the time of
Harald Hardråde and are inscribed .
Middle Ages At some point, presumably after 1030 but clearly before 1152, the centre was moved from Åker to the
peninsula near Rosenlundvika (today Domkirkeodden) in what is now the town of Hamar. There are some indications that
Harald Hardråde initiated this move because he had property at the new site. Much of the information about medieval Hamar is derived from the
Hamar Chronicle, dated to about 1550. The town is said to have reached its apex in the early 14th century, dominated by the
Hamar Cathedral, the bishop's manor, and a fortress, plus the surrounding urbanization. The town was known for its fragrant apple
orchards, but there were also merchants, craftsmen, and fishermen in the town. After the
Christianization of Norway in 1030, Hamar began to gain influence as a centre for trade and religion. In 1152, the episcopal representative
Nikolaus Breakspear founded
Hamar Kaupangen as one of five
dioceses in medieval Norway. This diocese included all of
Hedemarkens Amt and
Christians Amt, which were both separated from the
Diocese of Oslo in 1152. The first
bishop of Hamar was Arnold, Bishop of
Gardar, Greenland (1124–1152). He began to build the (now ruined) Cathedral of Christ Church, which was completed about the time of Bishop Paul (1232–1252). Bishop
Thorfinn (1278–1282) was exiled and died at
Ter Doest abbey in Flanders, and was later
canonised. Bishop Jörund (1285–1286) was transferred to
Trondheim. A provincial council was held in 1380. Hamar remained an important religious and political centre in Norway, organized around the cathedral and the bishop's manor until the
Reformation that took place in 1536–1537. At this time, Hamar lost its status as the seat of the Diocese after the last Catholic bishop,
Mogens Lauritssøn (1513–1537), was taken prisoner in his castle at Hamar by
Truid Ulfstand, a
Danish noble, and then sent to
Antvorskov in Denmark, where he was mildly treated until he died in 1542. At Hamar's peak, there was a Cathedral chapter with ten
canons, a school, a
Dominican Priory of St. Olaf, and a
monastery of the
Canons Regular of St. Anthony of Vienna. Hamar, like most of Norway, was severely diminished by the
Black Plague in 1349, and by all accounts continued this decline until the Reformation, after which it disappeared. The Reformation in Norway took less than ten years to complete, from 1526 to 1536. During this time, the fortress in Hamar was made into the residence of the sheriff and renamed
Hamarhus fortress. The cathedral was still used as a regular church, but it fell into disrepair, culminating with the
Swedish army's siege and attempted demolition in 1567, during the
Northern Seven Years' War. The old bishop's manor was also devastated during this siege.
Reformation and decline By 1587, merchants in
Christiania had succeeded in moving all of Hamar's market activities to Christiania such that Hamar lost its status as a market town (
kjøpstad). Though some regional and seasonal trade persisted into the 17th century, Hamar as a town ceased to exist by then. In its place, the area was used for agriculture under the Storhamar farm, though the ruins of the cathedral, fortress, and lesser buildings became landmarks for centuries since then. The King made Hamarhus a feudal seat until 1649, when
Frederick III transferred the property known as Hammer to
Hannibal Sehested, making it private property. In 1716, the estate was sold to Jens Grønbech (1666–1734). With this, a series of construction projects started, and the farm became known as Storhamar, passing through several owners until
Norwegian nobility was abolished in 1831, when Erik Anker took over the farm.
The founding of modern Hamar As early as 1755, the Danish government in
Copenhagen expressed an interest in establishing a trading center on the shores of the lake
Mjøsa.
Elverum was considered a frontier town with frequent unrest, and there was even talk of encouraging the dissenting
Hans Nielsen Hauge to settle in the area. Bishop
Fredrik Julius Bech, one of the most prominent officials of his time, proposed establishing a town at or near Storhamar, at the foot of Furuberget. In 1812, negotiations started in earnest when the regional governor of
Christians Amt proposed establishing a market on Mjøsa. A four-person commission was named on 26 July 1814, with the mandate of determining a suitable site for a new town along the shore. On 8 June 1815, the commission recommended establishing such a town at
Lillehammer, then also a farm, part of the
prestegjeld of
Faaberg. Acting on objections to this recommendation, the Department of the Interior asked two professors,
Ludvig Stoud Platou and
Gregers Fougner Lundh, to survey the area and develop an alternative recommendation. It appears that Lundh, in particular, put great effort into this assignment, and in 1824 he presented to the
Storting a lengthy report that included maps and plans for the new town. Lundh's premise was that the national economic interest reigned supreme, so he based his recommendation on the proposed town's ability to quickly achieve self-sustaining growth. He proposed that the name of the new town be called
Carlshammer and proposed it be built along the shore just north of Storhamar and eastward. His plans were detailed, calling for streets that were wide, rectangular blocks with 12 buildings in each, separating each of them. He also proposed tax relief for 20 years for the town's first residents, that the state relinquish property taxes in favor of the town, and that the town be given monopoly rights to certain trade. He even proposed that certain types of foreigners be allowed to settle in the town to promote trade, in particular, the
Quakers. His recommendation was accepted in principle by the government, but the parliamentary committee equivocated on the location. It left the determination of the actual site to the king so as not to slow down things further. Another commission was named in June 1825, consisting of
Herman Wedel-Jarlsberg, Professor Lundh, and other prominent Norwegians. After surveying the entire lake, it submitted another report that considered eleven different locations, including sites near today's
Eidsvoll,
Minnesund,
Tangen (in
Stange),
Åker, Storhamar,
Brumunddal,
Nes,
Moelven,
Lillehammer,
Gjøvik, and
Toten. Each was presented with pros and cons. The commission itself was split between Lillehammer and Storhamar. The parliament finally decided on Lillehammer, relegating Hamar once more, it seemed, to be a sleepy agricultural area. As
steamboats were introduced on the lake, the urban elite developed an interest in the medieval Hamar, and in 1841, editorials appeared advocating the re-establishment of a town at Storhamar. By then, the limitations of Lillehammer's location had also become apparent, in particular those of its shallow
harbor. After a few more years of discussions and negotiations, both regionally and nationally, Member of Parliament
Frederik Stang put on the table once more the possibility of a town in or near Storhamar. The governor at the time,
Frederik Hartvig Johan Heidmann, presented a thorough deliberation of possible specific locations and ended up proposing the current site, at Gammelhusbukten. On 26 April 1848, the king signed into law the establishment of Hamar as a
kjøpstad on the grounds of the farms of Storhamar and Holset, along the shores of the lake
Mjøsa. The law stated that the town would be founded on the date its borders are settled, which turned out to be 21 March 1849. Hamar was given a trading zone up to from its border. The new town was separated from
Vang Municipality and established as
Hamar Municipality under the
formannskapsdistrikt law that was passed in 1838. Composer
Fredrikke Waaler founded and directed the first orchestra in Hamar in 1893. She also directed a choir and wrote a song for the city.
Modern era In 1946, a large area in Vang that surrounded the town of Hamar (population: 4,087) was transferred out of Vang and merged into Hamar. The following year, a part of the neighboring
Furnes Municipality (population: 821) was also merged into Hamar. On 1 January 1965, a part of
Ringsaker Municipality with a population of about 100 people was transferred to Hamar. ==Cityscape==